not so hero

D

diego80

Active member
hello Forum,

I am currently writing a script in which a parallel character show a deeper, stronger conflict than the hero has.

that is not a problem for me, as I think it helps make the structure "wider", more complex and, in a certain way, less obvious; but I am not very sure this could work on a mainstream work

I would like to know if any similar example already exist (i am sure there are many, but I cannot recall them)

Coulp you please name out some?

they don't have to be necessarily famous movies, just good movies, movies you loved or liked.

It would help me as a comparison
 
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Paralleling structure? There's lots of them. A recent shift in Oscar caliber Hollywood films has been towards traditionally European multiplots. Babel, Crash, and Traffic are just some examples. I'm actually working on one right now. The point is to explore the same theme from multiple angles. You can divide the characters and plot, but NOT the theme.

More to the point of your story, in Babel, the Richard Jones' character conflict is to break through the communication and cultural barriers and try to bring rescue to his wounded wife; one of the other parallel stories follows Chieko, who is cut off from others and from exploring her burgeoning sexuality due to her being deaf/mute. Of course the wounded wife story is much more dramatic and requires resolution due to the mortality of its character, but the Chieko story brings subtlety and deeper emotion to the overall theme of the film.

Check out Babel along with the other films I mentioned. Also, Linda Seger has a great book called Advanced Screenwriting which explores alternative structures such as parallel and converging parallel.
 
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Also, for a less dramatic example than I've already mentioned, try Go. An old favorite of mine that still holds up.
 
The risk is that your audience becomes more interested in your parallel character than in your hero - "wow, what a great script, apart from that boring hero" :) You need to make both of them fascinating, in different ways.
 
clang said:
The risk is that your audience becomes more interested in your parallel character than in your hero - "wow, what a great script, apart from that boring hero" :) You need to make both of them fascinating, in different ways.
Click to expand...


yes,

that's exactly my fear.
 
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